President Donald Trump sent a flurry of mixed signals on the China trade dispute, expressing both high confidence and deep uncertainty in the same interview.
On one hand, Trump said, “I get along great with him [Xi]. I think we’re going to be fine with China.” On the other, he warned, “China is always looking for an edge… I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll see what happens.”
This contradictory outlook comes as he confirmed a meeting with Xi in two weeks. He also applied this dualism to his tariffs, calling them “not sustainable” but also claiming “it could stand.”
The talks are critical as a 90-day truce is set to expire on November 10. This truce has paused a trade war that saw duties threaten 145% and has stoked fears of a global slowdown.
Trump’s core demand is a “fair deal.” He continues to justify the tariffs as necessary leverage, arguing the US would be “a nothing” without them.